Taking a close look at playground safety

Citing the thousands of injuries to children each year from faulty or broken playground equipment, the AAOS says such equipment should be well-maintained, with no sharp edges, protrusions or openings that could trap a child's head or body.

Playground areas for active play should be separated from areas for quiet play, the organization says. Surfaces should be made of shock-absorbing material like rubber mats or loose fill such as fine or medium gravel, engineered wood fibers, sand, or double-shredded bark mulch. Areas of loose fill should be contained.